Field infiltration as a method for the disposal of oil-in-water emulsions from the restoration of oil-polluted aquifers

Abstract

Oil may be crude oil or one of its derivatives. An oil accident involves the unintended infiltration of oil into the ground. If the propagation of the oil along the water table is stopped by pumping water, oil-in-water emulsions with low oil content may occur. Their disposal by infiltration in the proximity of the oil accident is called field infiltration. The idea of field infiltration is based on the retention of oil by the soil as well as on the microbial degradation of oil. Advantages of field infiltration are its simplicity and its low cost as well as the minimum consumption of fresh water during pumping. Disadvantages are the unknown degree of microbial degradation and in some cases the uncertainty as to whether the Jamin effect, which governs retention, is operative at all, which can be proved by experiment only. In the present paper hydromechanical fundamentals of field infiltration are examined and the maximum retention of oil by the Jamin effect is determined experimentally.